Stardew Valley has hit over 1 million users only two months after its initial release on Steam. Now you’ve created your farmer, what to do? Have a look at some of the tips below to help you get started!
Before You Start- Create your character and name your town
If you haven’t already, choose your name, your farms name and customise your character. Use the sliders to perfect colours until you look how you want.
There will be a (too real) cut scene involving your grandpa, after this you will awake at 6am on your farm. Time to get started!
Introduction
In the top right hand of your screen there is a clock, this includes important information such as the day/date (of course), the weather, the season, time of day, your current gold and your quests menu shortcut. You can also press F to see your quests at any time.
Your quest icon will be moving, this means you have a new quest. Press it to open the Introductions quest which means you must introduce yourself to everyone in town. There are 28 NPCs currently living in your town, but don’t worry there is no time limit, and this is a great opportunity to explore. You can use M to bring up your map at any time to see where you have to go.
Walk over to the parcel on your floor and click to open. Ooh yay seeds! Go outside to your farm, open E to have a look at your inventory and use your hoe to plant your seeds. Water the patch with your watering can, it turns dark to show it has been done for the day.
The seed packet will indicate how long the plant will take to grow, you must water every day in order to keep it alive!
Notice your energy bar in the bottom right hand corner? This will go down each time you use a tool, if it runs out you will become exhausted and your character will move very slowly. Do not continue to use tools if this happens, as you will pass out and lose money! Eating will restore energy, hover over an item to see which category it belongs to alongside how much energy it can give you. Select the food and then your character. If an item has a silver or gold star on It, it means it will sell for better money as well as give you an extra boost of health.
Money is imperative to keep your farm thriving. The shipping box outside your house is of use here, you use it to ship items out and make a profit. Be sure to select the items you want to send and click on the box. Voila! All sent.
Villagers can be clicked on in order to interact. You can also give them items to increase your friendship, but be careful as some of them dislike certain items! This is mostly trial and error, so just be sure to remember. If an item is ‘popular’ it is more likely to be received well, etc.
Outside Pierre’s shop there is a calendar. Check this to find out your friends birthdays and other festivals. Giving gifts to a friend on their birthday is very important in increasing your relationship! A yellow exclamation point on this board means there is a quest to do. As a newbie this can be an important source of gold! You will have to find a particular item for a random NPC, if you find it within the requested time, you will receive gold and a friendship heart. If you fail these tasks there are no repercussions, so accept them as much as you can.
Go buy some seeds from Pierre’s shop, be careful as he only sells seeds for the next season and once that season ends all crops will die! So plant these ASAP once bought to make it worth it. Also be wary when buying that you can’t return what you buy, if you buy in error you will have to return for a loss. TIP : Press ‘shift’ and click to buy 5 items at once!
When you decide to go to sleep (and please do because it is too easy to get addicted), you will get a breakdown of all you have sold. This will go onto a grand total which you can view in your inventory page.
Other helpful tips:
Check the trash cans: Sounds gross, but you can get lots of goodies from these. Just be sure that people don’t see you or they will react badly. Things that are real trash like glasses can be kept to make materials later, so this is a really handy habit to get into.
Donate to the museum: Items classed as mineral or artefact can go to the museum. Once you have donated 5, you will get some seeds. The more you donate the more you receive!
Collect wood: You can use wood to repair the bridge which will unlock an area filled with valuable items. Check here daily to find great stuff to sell. You can also use wood to build a chest for extra storage.
Don’t ignore the worms: The wriggly brown worms on your path can be rewarding. Use your hoe on them to receive items!
Get a Scarecrow: A no brainer really. Get a scarecrow to avoid your crops being eaten!
Keep Energy Food on you: You don’t want to pass out and lose money. Be sure to keep items on you at all times to replenish health.
Use Coffee to Move Faster: Coffee will increase your movement speed by one, so is very useful on busy farming days.
Fish where you see bubbles: On the second day you will have the chance to obtain a rod. Be sure to fish where you see bubbles as it will reduce the waiting time.
Check the TV: It will give you new recipes each day. If you miss a show, there are re runs on Wednesdays.
Find the Wagon: A Wagon will appear to the West of the Ranch each Sunday. Visit it to get some rare items.
Make a friend!: An easy friend to make is Leah, she absolutely loves salad. Go to the saloon at night to see her and gift her salad twice a week to make a fast friend. You can guy salad from Gus for 220G.
Go to Bed!: The later you go to bed, the less energy you will have for the next day. In both the game and in real life. Be sure to finish your day and save once you’re asleep, otherwise you will lose progress.
Have fun! Be sure to share any additional tips below, and happy farming!
